“Queensborough helped me to uncover my passion for child psychology, and has given me a strong foundation to succeed on the career path I’ve chosen,” Veronica Nunez Baret says.

When Veronica Nunez Baret came to the United States from the Dominican Republic in 2004, she was glad she already had studied the English language before arriving here. She found that she acclimated to her new country and succeeded in her college studies more easily than other new immigrants she knew.

Veronica held a full-time position as an office assistant in a law office, and simultaneously maintained a high GPA as a full-time Queensborough student. Her academic success and commitment to her education led her to be named as a Kaplan Leadership Scholar through the Kaplan Educational Foundation, an honor only a small number of regional students are granted. The scholarship allows Veronica to dedicate her time to her education and earn both her Associate and Bachelor’s degrees. She now works part-time for Kaplan Aspect, which sponsors opportunities for foreign students to come to New York City to study English.

In the fall of 2007, Veronica was elected chapter president of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society at Queensborough, which recognizes and encourages the academic achievement of two-year college students. She graduated from Queensborough in the spring of 2008, and will follow her passion to work with children by pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in child psychology.